NEW DELHI:
The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) launched year-long centenary celebrations of legendary singer, Bharat Ratna Dr M S Subbulakshmi, on 16 September, her birth anniversary.
The Government of India is marking the late Dr Subbulakshmi’s birth centenary and IGNCA has been mandated to host events throughout the year (until 16 September 2017).
In Bengaluru, Ananthakumar, Union Minister for Fertilizers and Chemicals and Parliamentary Affairs, launched the centenary programmes yesterday. Former Governor Justice Rama Jois; Member Secretary IGNCA, Dr Sachchidanand Joshi; and former Trustee, IGNCA, Krishna Bhatt were present on the occasion.
Ananthakumar, speaking on the occasion, said the centenary should not be just a national occasion but an international one, as the Carnatic vocalist was a cultural ambassador of India.
One of the proposals of IGNCA is to build a world class auditorium, to be named after her, in Bengaluru. The minister urged IGNCA to complete the work and inaugurate it at the conclusion of the centenary.
Dr Sachchidanand Joshi said the IGNCA would try and hold centenary-related programmes in some of the cities where Dr Subbulakshmi had rendered memorable concerts. These cities include London, Moscow, and New York (UN).
He also gave a hint of the programmes planned by the IGNCA, which includes a multi-city exhibition, a seminar to highlight the contributions she made to the national movement for independence and also as a women who stepped into a world of music dominated by men, to set a trend for women singers to follow.
Justice Rama Jois recalled the Bhakti Bhava of Dr Subbulakshmi. A short film capturing some rare moments in the artist’s life was screened as a tribute to her.
